Farsighted Fly Girl

When I mention that I love Twin City, I'm not talking about Minneapolis and St.Paul although I'm sure they're lovely in their own way . Twin City is the nickname for the U.S. Virgin Islands' St.Croix and it's one of my favorite Caribbean islands. It's called Twin City because of it's two major towns, Christiansted and Frederiksted. Brimming with quaint, jewel-colored houses and fragrant bougainvillea, ixora and hibiscus everywhere you turn, St. Croix is packed with charm and culture. The capitol of Christiansted sits serenely on a waterfront square surrounded by butter-colored, neo-classic buildings dating from the 1700s. The city also boasts rows of art galleries, which I'll explore in my next post. What I love about St.Croix is that it offers the beauty and lush environment that you'd expect from an island but it also supplies lots of culture and history. Cruzans are a laid-back, brainy bunch and there's nothing better than hanging out in a

Zip Lining is one of those travel activities that intimidates a lot of people. I guess pairing sky-scraping heights with jungles and a single rope to hang from does sound scary. But it doesn't have to be. I sailed through the St.Lucian rain forest with not a flicker of fear. I glanced at the tops of palm trees and touched oversize ferns. A light sprinkle of rain started to fall and the experience was even more magical, even though it was hard to see after awhile. It was exhilarating because I'm tall and I could see the floor of the forest just a few feet beneath my legs. It's not so upsetting when you can imagine jumping from the rope and safely to the ground. St. Lucia is a small island and accordingly, it's zip line tour is relatively small. On the other hand, I have known the gripping fear that comes from facing a true zip line. By true, I mean a zip line strung atop tree canopies of at least 20 feet. A few years ago in Costa Rica, I forced myself to do the zip l

Yvonne over at the Rest of Yesterday supplied the alert that you can make these great Obamicons over at Paste Magazine's site. After fighting to keep back the tears as I watched the inauguration,( I was teaching my journalism class and historical or not, I don't think it's a good look for the prof to break down in tears.) I made this one to represent the feeling of hope and pride that the ceremony inspired in me. Words can't even begin to express all the emotions that are swirling, especially when I see familiar Chicago faces like Desiree Rogers and Jesse Jackson Jr. right there with him. It's a special day, a piece of history that I'll never forget.

Although it's not the prettiest island in the Caribbean, tiny Antigua (108 sq. miles) is one of my favorites. The people exude the most genuinely warm spirits that I've ever witnessed and it's the birthplace of one of my favorite authors, Jamaica Kincaid. I spent my first hours in the capitol of St. John, scouring the streets for the library that Jamaica writes about so vividly in A Small Place . I found it in much the same cramped glory that she described almost a decade before but that wasn't one of the island's most memorable spots. That honor goes to Devil's Bridge. Located on the northeast side of Antigua, covered with sloping hills and luxurious vegetation, you'll find the eerily popular attraction called Devil's Bridge. A natural limestone arch carved from Atlantic Ocean breakers looms up from the water. Blow holes and whipping waves add to the daunting effect of the place. Screaming over the bridge delivers not just excitement but a watery rewar

So it's 10 below zero in Chicago. My forehead feels immovable from being exposed to the skin-slapping wind. People always expect Chicagoans to be used to the weather but you never get used to brutal temperatures. You just adjust. Adjustment for me means focusing on my many tropical travels. I've gazed at tons of gorgeous beaches but the most unforgettable was Barbuda's pink sand shoreline. Stretching for 10-miles non-stop, with nary a beach towel or umbrella stand in sight, Barbuda's beaches resemble true paradise. I keep two bottles of the blush-colored sand on my bookshelf. Today I've been staring at it hoping it will transport me to Barbuda or at least transmit a bit of the tiny island's heat. It hasn't worked. At least I have my memories. The most vivid of which is spending hours in postage-stamp-sized Codrington Airport. The waiting area and outside yard serves as Barbuda's socializing mecca. Women lounge around to discover who's flying in or

A colorful Barbados memory that will always stick with me is winding down craggy country roads with the lovely resort town of Bathsheba as a backdrop. Only my attention wasn't on Bathsheba and its milky waters splashing the shores. I was singing a clever calypso led by art historian and musician Trevor Marshall and trying to figure out the punch line. A good calypso tune bursts with double entendres but it's not always immediately apparent. Trevor introduced me to this famous hit by Dave Martins and The Tradewinds and I'll always associate it with Barbados, even though the group members also represent Guyana, Trinidad, Grenada and the Cayman Islands. It's quite wicked, which is how I like my calypso! HONEYMOONING COUPLE A honeymooning couple was in a bedroom/ packing up to go away/in the middle of June/ Well all of a sudden/ a big argument break out/listen to the bridegroom/ listen what he shout/ You get on top/ that's the way it must go/I am your

You can spot piles of clay all over Barbados but especially in Chalky Mount, a little village in St. Andrew famous for its potters and rich clay reserves. I didn't make it to Chalky Mount but I did witness the three generations of artistry at work in Fairfield House. Perched on a rocky incline in St. Michael's, Fairfield House Gallery and the adjoining Red Clay Pottery factory, three generations of the Bell family have molded Bajan clay into terra cotta pots and unique pieces like the mermaid mirror above. I watched Maggie Bell, the main Fairfield designer, whip up bottles and bowls on the homemade machines that fill Red Clay factory. Her father Peter, had originally designed it as a clay processing plant. Now Fairfield is the largest pottery maker in Barbados and all of the wares are created from local materials and then individually painted. The Fairfield House has been in the Bell family for 70 years and I could feel all the history seeping through the walls. When I was

Okay, so I'm not over Christmas yet. I just started feeling it last week and now it's over. Blogger was also not cooperating during Christmas week and I couldn't post these lovely pics. So this will be my last holiday post. Silver bells and twinkling lights might signal the holiday season up North but in Barbados, the vibrant blooms of yellow Christmas Candle pants means that the season has started. The island doesn't get any snow but the delicate white blossoms of the Snow on the Mountain plant cover the hills just as prettily. Both plants bloom only during the winter months when temperatures drop into the cool low 80s.